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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26311351">running circles (around you)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/moondanse/pseuds/moondanse'>moondanse</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Flirting, M/M, Mutual Pining, jeno and yukhei are gym bros, no plot just thirsting over cute boys at the gym, side lumark, so much flirting and so much pining</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:40:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,039</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26311351</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/moondanse/pseuds/moondanse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The only reason Donghyuck puts up with Mark dragging him to the gym everyday — at the ungodly hour of eight in the morning, might he add — is because it gives him a reason to talk to the hottest man he's ever met: Lee Jeno.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>364</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>NOHYUCK FEST: 정답!</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>running circles (around you)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hello! this is 6k of straight mutual pining - aka the perfect excuse for me to wax poetic about donghyuck and jeno's beauty. please do not expect any kind of plot or coherence. thank you.</p><p>shout out to E and A for beta-ing and helping me with this! and of course, thank you to the prompter for this lovely idea. it was so good i actually took on two prompts for this fest because i couldn't resist writing it. (yes, i do hate myself, thanks for asking.) hope you enjoy!</p><p>written for nohyuck fest prompt #JD081.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Donghyuck would like whoever invented morning workouts to go fuck themselves. </p><p>Mornings are sacred, a time for sleep and scrolling through Twitter in bed. Mornings are <em> not </em>for exercising. Why would anyone want to tire themselves out so early? Contrary to popular belief, Donghyuck does not have limitless energy, and it’s absolutely foolish to believe he’d want to exert it all before his day even begins. </p><p>Yet here he is, eyes drooping as he swipes his student ID at the gym entrance. Mark is unusually chipper next to him, and it makes Donghyuck want to slap him across the face. Literally what is he so happy about. It’s eight in the fucking morning. </p><p>“Can you stop whistling? It’s grating on my ears,” Donghyuck complains. </p><p>Mark pouts, giving Donghyuck the most disgusting puppy dog face known to man. “Come on, you promised to try this out with me,” he whines. Donghyuck curses the concepts of New Year’s resolutions and obligations to your friends. </p><p>He sighs. “And here I am, trying it. Gotta say, not loving it so far.”</p><p>“We haven’t even started yet,” Mark protests. </p><p>“Trust me, I’m aware.”</p><p>Mark rolls his eyes and jerks his head to the left. “Come on, I usually use the machines over here.” He leads them towards a set of chest presses, and Donghyuck groans. Mark expects him to use one of <em> those? </em>Who does he think he is, the Hulk?</p><p>He’s about to complain when something catches his eye. Or rather, some<em>one: </em>God himself, running laps around the indoor track. </p><p>Donghyuck only gets a quick look at him as he jogs past, black hair swishing and leg muscles flexing, but he already knows this is the hottest man he’s ever laid eyes on. His heart instantly begins to race as he stares openly at the stranger’s muscled arms, the gleam of sweat across his forehead, the perfect slope of his nose. </p><p><em> “Hello,” </em>he breathes, inhaling sharply as the stranger rounds the corner, revealing a perfect view of his backside. Donghyuck reaches out blindly and slaps Mark’s chest. “Forget everything I just said,” he starts. “You’re my best friend and I love you.”</p><p>Mark scoffs, affronted. “I wasn’t before?”</p><p>“Waking me up at the ass crack of dawn knocked you down to second place. But you’re back up. Thank you for dragging me here to witness this immaculate sight.”</p><p>His mouth is hanging open slightly as he stares after the hot stranger, watching him for as long as possible before he’s out of eyesight. Mark notices the hungry sparkle in his eyes and follows his gaze.</p><p>“Oh, that’s weird,” he mumbles, frowning. “He’s by himself today.”</p><p>Donghyuck immediately turns and jumps on Mark, clutching at the fabric of his gym tee violently. “You know him?!” he exclaims. “Tell me who he is immediately!”</p><p>Mark’s cheeks flush red and he pushes Donghyuck off of him, brushing the invisible germs off his shirt with distaste. </p><p>“No, I don’t<em> know </em>him,” he says. “I just see him here a lot around this time. He’s usually with his friend, though. I wonder where he is today…”</p><p>Donghyuck either misses the disappointment in Mark’s tone entirely, or he simply doesn’t care, because the next moment he’s sighing wistfully and draping himself over the nearest exercise machine. </p><p>“Markie,” he whines. “Teach me how to use this thing so I can look athletic and appealing. Quick, before he finishes his next lap!”</p><p>Mark looks at Donghyuck like he’s grown three extra heads, and sighs. He walks towards the chest press and examines it for a second. </p><p>“I dunno, you just… sit on it. And like…” He makes a vague gesture with his arms, trying to demonstrate how to use the machine, though there isn’t an ounce of confidence in his demonstration. Now it’s Donghyuck’s turn to stare, incredulous. </p><p>“You mean you don’t know how to use it, either? Who the fuck are you? I thought you said you always use these machines!”</p><p>Mark blanches, raising his hands in protest. “It’s only my third time coming here! I’m still learning! Anyway, it can’t be that hard.” He then moves to the chest press next to Donghyuck and attempts to do some presses. He’s sort of successful, but if the strained look on his face is anything to go by, it’s a bit tougher than he expected. </p><p>“You are the worst,” Donghyuck scoffs. He glances behind Mark and sees that the hot stranger is making his way around again. His heart flutters. “Oh shit, here he comes! I’m just gonna stand here and sexily drink some water, instead.”</p><p>Mark is too lost in trying to conquer the chest press to acknowledge Donghyuck any further. Which is perfectly fine with Donghyuck, because there’s only one person he wants acknowledgement from right now, and he’s going to get it no matter what. </p><p>Donghyuck waits until the hot stranger is a decent distance away before getting into position. He quickly ruffles his hair, hoping to go for an alluring rugged look, then brings his water bottle to his lips. Hot Stranger jogs past just as he tips his head to take a gulp. He puts all of his energy into hoping that he looks good, that his adam’s apple is bobbing in a sexy way and that he doesn’t look too stupid leaning against a damn exercise machine. </p><p>He chances a glance over at the stranger mid gulp. Mistake number one. Donghyuck is caught completely off guard when he sees that the stranger is <em> looking in his direction. </em>They make eye contact for a split second, and Donghyuck’s heart nearly stops. </p><p>Apparently his brain stops, too, because he tries to smile at the stranger, completely forgetting that his mouth is full of water. Mistake number two. </p><p>Water spills out of his mouth and down the front of his shirt in the most unattractive way. Donghyuck coughs, nearly choking on his own embarrassment, and turns away. His face is on fire. Behind him, the stranger averts his eyes and continues his jog around the track. </p><p>“...Dude,” Mark says, stilling in shock. </p><p>Donghyuck refuses to look him in the eye. “Shut up,” he says. “Tell anyone about this and you die.”</p><p>Mark snorts, but makes a zipping motion across his mouth with his fingers. “My lips are sealed.”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>***</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“My arms are killing me,” Donghyuck complains, splaying his upper body across the lunch table with a sigh. “I hate you, Mark Lee.”</p><p>Mark once again has the audacity to look offended. He pouts, poking at Donghyuck’s shoulder with the blunt end of his fork. Next to Donghyuck sits Renjun, the third in their little trio of roommates, who laughs. </p><p>“I thought I was forgiven!” Mark whines. “What happened to being thankful? Without me you wouldn’t have met that cute guy!”</p><p>Renjun’s eyebrows shoot up in curiosity, but before he can say anything, Donghyuck sits up abruptly, nearly knocking Renjun’s yogurt carton off the table. </p><p>“Met?” he nearly shouts, ignoring Renjun’s protests to stop being dramatic. “No, Mark. We did not <em> meet. </em>We held eye contact for two seconds while I made a complete fool of myself. I can never face the love of my life again.” Donghyuck slumps forward again, this time pillowing his face in his arms. </p><p>Renjun takes this opportunity to finally butt in. </p><p>“I’m sorry, but what’s this about a cute guy? And Donghyuck making a fool of himself?”</p><p>Mark warily glances at Donghyuck, remembering his earlier threat to kill him if he told anyone about The Gym Incident, but Donghyuck seems resigned to his fate and makes no moves to stop him. He shrugs. </p><p>“There was this guy at the gym… Donghyuck thinks he’s hot—”</p><p>“Excuse you, he <em> is </em>hot,” Donghyuck interjects from his hiding place. Mark rolls his eyes. </p><p>“Okay, he’s hot, and Donghyuck nearly passed out from staring at him too hard. Anyway he tried to… well, I’m not sure what he was trying to do exactly. But essentially he spilled water all down the front of his shirt while the guy was looking at him.”</p><p>Renjun bursts into laughter. Donghyuck groans, bemoaning his existence and wishing he had nicer friends. </p><p>“And that’s why you shouldn’t force Donghyuck to try and function that early in the morning,” Renjun chuckles. He reaches out to run his fingers through Donghyuck’s hair, teasing but fond. “Don’t beat yourself up too much, Hyuckie. I’m sure if it was a normal time, you would have charmed his pants off.”</p><p>Donghyuck sits up slowly and declares: “Renjun, you’re my number one best friend,” at the same time that Mark exclaims: “How is this my fault?!”</p><p>The rest of lunch is spent listening to Donghyuck gush about the hot stranger. Renjun tries to brainstorm ways for him to get his attention while Mark wallows about being unappreciated.</p><p>All in all, a normal weekday. <br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Despite Donghyuck’s complaints, he accompanies Mark to the gym again the next morning.</p><p>He’s only slightly less irritable this time, the prospect of seeing the most beautiful man on Earth cancelling out at least some of his early morning fatigue. He feels more prepared today, too, and has consumed enough caffeine to keep him on the edge of wired.</p><p>The duo makes their way over to the chest presses again. Both Donghyuck and Mark immediately begin scanning the area for familiar faces.</p><p>“He’s here," Mark breathes sharply, and Donghyuck notices for the first time that Mark seems almost as nervous as he is. The confusion lasts only for a moment, quickly replaced by excitement.</p><p>“Where?!" He follows Mark's gaze. In the distance are two figures, jogging side by side around the track. Donghyuck squints to get a better look. One of them is definitely the hot stranger from yesterday, looking just as breathtakingly sexy as ever. The other is a taller, hulking kind of guy that he doesn't recognize. "Oh, what? Who is that?”</p><p>"Your boy and m— his friend. I don't know his name. Their names."</p><p>Donghyuck narrows his eyes at Mark. He watches, fascinated, as Mark's cheeks grow redder the closer the two strangers get. Interesting.</p><p>"Uh huh. I see."</p><p>"See what?"</p><p>"Nothing."</p><p>Mark stares for a moment, then suddenly remembers where they are and sits down at an exercise machine. Donghyuck carefully observes as Mark pulls out his phone, plugs in his earphones and selects a playlist on Spotify — all while stealing shy glances at the pair of strangers.</p><p>Donghyuck chances a glance over, too, and notices that they're rounding the corner where The Incident occurred the previous day. Steeling himself, he tries to look busy by adjusting his socks and retying his shoes. As he looks up (totally casual), he notices Mark exchanging a nod with the beefy dude.</p><p>Oh?</p><p>He's so distracted by this turn of events that he hardly even has time to ogle his hot stranger. He turns on Mark as soon as the two are out of earshot.</p><p>“What was that?" he asks, a devious grin spreading across his face.</p><p>"What? Nothing," Mark blushes. He seems reluctant to say more, but quickly concedes to the glint in Donghyuck's eyes. "...We do that every morning," he sighs. "Just a friendly nod, like how you nod to your neighbors on the stairs, you know?"</p><p>Donghyuck is absolutely thrilled to hear this. No wonder Mark was so insistent on not missing his gym time. He had his own hot stranger to ogle!</p><p>"So you don’t know his name but you nod at him every morning, huh? Why don’t you go talk to him?" Donghyuck goads.</p><p>“No! I mean. Nodding is fine. It’s like, our thing, you know?”</p><p>Donghyuck snorts. “Well start making talking to him your thing instead!”</p><p>The fear on Mark's face is absolutely ridiculous. Donghyuck wants to pinch his cheeks. He reaches out to do so and is swatted away immediately. Well, worth a shot.</p><p>“You’re one to talk," Mark whines. "Why don’t you introduce yourself to Mr. Love of Your Life?” He jerks his head towards the retreating figures and Donghyuck takes a moment to appreciate Hot Gym Guy’s ass in his basketball shorts.</p><p>“I’m working up to it," he sighs wistfully. "I have a plan, Mark.”</p><p>“Is your plan to spit up water all over yourself again?” Mark giggles.</p><p>“First of all, I literally hate you," Donghyuck deadpans. "Second of all, no. I'm going to seduce him with my mysterious charms first. He's going to come to <em> me." </em></p><p>Now it's Mark's turn to snort. "Sounds like an excuse to me," he says. "You're just afraid of making a fool of yourself again."</p><p>"Whatever, talk to me when you and your little nodding buddy are on a first name basis," Donghyuck says. He turns away from Mark and slips his headphones in his ears, setting his playlist on full blast.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>***</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Jeno likes routine. He likes the structure of waking up at the same time every morning, having the same flavor of protein shake for breakfast and heading to the same gym before he conquers class. He's lucky to have found an excellent gym partner in Yukhei, who is less rigid in his routines but who appreciates Jeno's commitment to having set workouts.</p><p>They always start out with cardio. Jeno finds it pleasing to jumpstart his heart and his day with a run. It gives his brain a chance to wake up, too, before Yukhei drags him towards the weights and all his brainpower is focused on not dying.</p><p>Jeno likes routine. And when that routine is disrupted, it throws off his entire morning. When Yukhei was sick, he'd nearly skipped out on going to the gym at all — but in the end, he thought better of it and went alone. Which brings him to a second, more pressing disruption.</p><p>He's never seen this boy around campus before. Jeno knows he hasn't, because there's absolutely no way he'd forget a face like that. He looks like an angel: tan, glowing skin; long hair that frames a perfectly sculptured bone structure like it's a piece of art; legs that stretch as far as the horizon. Jeno nearly chokes on his own spit the first time he sees him, chattering with a friend near the chest press machines. His heart seizes up in his chest and he has to consciously even out his breathing, a feat that isn't particularly easy to accomplish while jogging.</p><p>In hindsight, Jeno is sort of glad Yukhei wasn't there that first day. Sure, he was more thrown off than usual, but he's almost certain his friend would have teased him. And there's no way he would have gotten out of that awkward eye contact encounter so easily if he'd been there. Perhaps one disruption in his routine was necessary in order to survive the other.</p><p>"Hey, look, your crush is doing squats today," Yukhei startles Jeno out of his reverie, setting down his weights to point towards the two boys in a totally conspicuous way. Jeno flushes bright red and pulls on Yukhei's arm, eyes darting frantically. First of all, <em> crush? </em> And second of all... <em> squats?! </em></p><p>In the four days since the mystery boy started coming to the gym, Jeno hasn't seen him do anything other than sit at the chest presses and pretend to work out next to his friend. He says "pretend" because it's clear that, while extremely beautiful, this guy doesn't know the next thing about chest workouts. Not that he needs to — Jeno thinks his slender build suits him perfectly, and almost dreads the thought of him bulking up. Still, he can't help but wonder what this guy is actually trying to achieve in the first place.</p><p>Today, however, the two boys are indeed doing squats. Jeno's eyes land on his "crush" and he sucks in a sharp breath at the sight.</p><p>"Oh my god," he murmurs weakly. Yukhei laughs next to him and gives him a hearty slap on the shoulder.</p><p>"I know, right?" he says with a grin. "Those legs. Damn."</p><p>Jeno agrees wholeheartedly. <em> Damn </em>doesn't even begin to cover it — he's never seen a set of legs as perfect as these in his life. Jeno feels his face heat up as he takes in the boy's honey-golden thighs, the way his calves tense with each squat, the almost unreal smoothness of his skin. Is it as soft as it looks? He wonders what it would feel like to run his hands up those legs, to feel them wrapped around his waist.</p><p>"Hey, Earth to Jeno. I think he can feel you staring at him," Yukhei interjects, waving a hand in front of Jeno's eyes. Panicked, Jeno lifts his gaze and sees that the boy is in fact staring right back at him, an amused glint in his eyes. Oh, god. Oh, no.</p><p>"Fuck," Jeno splutters, quickly turning away. Yukhei laughs again and Jeno kind of wants to kill him. What kind of friend is he?</p><p>"Just go talk to him," Yukhei offers with an easy shrug. Jeno is too busy trying to make himself small enough that he disappears entirely. He is most definitely not going to go talk to him. Not right now, anyway. He needs to psych himself up for that, first. </p><p>"<em>You </em>talk to him," Jeno shoots back, a pout on his face. "Or talk to that guy you're always nodding at. He's totally into you, you know?"</p><p>Yukhei raises a brow. "Mark?" he asks. Jeno doesn't know when he found out Nodding Guy's name, but he's assuming that's who Mark is. "He is?"</p><p>"Are you stupid? Of course he is. He's been checking you out for weeks."</p><p>"Oh. Cool. Maybe I will, then."</p><p>And just like that, Yukhei is sauntering over to where Mark and Godlike Thighs are working out. Jeno watches him with utter fear in his eyes as it slowly dons on him that this is actually happening.</p><p>"Yukhei, what are you doing...!" he whisper-shouts, but he's too late. Yukhei is already chatting up Mark. A pea-sized part of Jeno's brain tells him that he should take this opportunity to get to know his friend a bit, but the thought of speaking to him after being caught staring is scarier than any nightmare he can conceive. So he settles for a meek wave, instead.</p><p>The boy waves back, his face lighting up in a bright yet shy smile. Jeno feels his heart stutter in his chest. How can one person even be this beautiful? It's unreal.</p><p>For a moment he wonders if the boy will come over to talk to him, now that Mark and Yukhei are preoccupied. However, the moment is brief, and the boy returns to doing his squats all alone. Jeno takes a second to even out his breathing before returning to his own weightlifting exercises.</p><p>From across the way, he can hear Yukhei laughing with Mark and feels a tinge of jealousy. He wonders what <em> his </em>laughter sounds like and is hit with an intense longing to hear it. Jeno thinks he'd do anything to make him laugh. The ridiculousness of the thought strikes him right in the heart — he is so fucked.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>***</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>A few days later, Mark and Yukhei are already on their way to being best friends. Jeno tries not to feel too left out, but he can't help but be a little bitter. How does Yukhei do it? Has he no sense of shame, no insecurities?</p><p>"You just gotta do it, man," Yukhei says with a shrug. "Yolo, you know? Life's too short to get hung up on cute boys or whatever. Chase your bliss, my dude."</p><p>Jeno's face twists up uncomfortably. "Easier said than done," he sighs. "He hasn't come up to me, either, and I don't even know his name—”</p><p>"Donghyuck."</p><p>Jeno blinks. "Huh...?"</p><p>Yukhei lets out an embarrassingly loud chortle and grins. "His name's Donghyuck; Mark told me," he says. "You really should just ask, man."</p><p>Oh. Jeno blushes and runs the name across his tongue a few times. "Donghyuck. Donghyuck..."</p><p>"Donghyuck," Yukhei nods. "Now will you talk to him or what? Mark said he's waiting for you to make a move."</p><p>"He is?" Jeno's face turns beet red. He's not stupid; he knew there was definitely some mutual interest there, but having it confirmed sets his heart racing and hands sweating.</p><p>"Yeah," Yukhei laughs. "Come on. You talk to Donghyuck, and I'll ask Mark out on a date. We're in this together, bro."</p><p>Jeno takes a deep, steadying breath. "Okay," he says. <em> He can do this. </em>"Okay."</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>***</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>"Who are you texting?" Donghyuck leans into Mark's space, trying to peek at his phone screen. "You have like, two friends, and we're both right here."</p><p>Mark frowns and lightly pushes Donghyuck's shoulder. "Yukhei," he says, cheeks tinged pink.</p><p>Donghyuck gasps. Renjun looks up from his book, eyebrows raised.</p><p>"Oh?"</p><p>"You got his number?"</p><p>Mark scratches at the back of his neck, his blush deepening. "Yeah. He gave it to me yesterday. He's a really funny texter. He uses so many emojis."</p><p>Donghyuck stares at his best friend in disbelief. "I cannot believe Mark Lee has more game than me."</p><p>"<em>I </em>can't believe the two of you are leaving me in the lurch to be with your hot boyfriends," Renjun complains.</p><p>"Junnie, you said you didn't want to come to the gym with us."</p><p>"I don't,” Renjun scoffs. “Doesn't mean I wouldn't appreciate a hot boyfriend of my own."</p><p>Donghyuck rolls his eyes. Renjun is pretty and smart; there’s no way he’d be single for long if he really tried. "Then go get one,” he says. “No one's stopping you." </p><p>"Fine.” Renjun leans towards Donghyuck with a mischievous grin. “Hyuckie, want to make out?”</p><p>He’s met with an affronted gasp. </p><p>"Fuck you, you know my heart belongs to Hot Gym Guy."</p><p>Renjun snorts. "Hot Gym Guy. How romantic."</p><p>"Says the guy who just casually asked his best friend to make out with him!”</p><p>"Spontaneity is sexy,” Renjun shrugs, clearly unbothered. Donghyuck, however, looks nothing short of scandalized. </p><p>"I hate you. Mark is my best friend now."</p><p>“Hey,” Mark protests, finally looking up from his phone. “Don’t drag me into this.”</p><p>“Whatever,” Renjun says. “So when are you going to get Hot Gym Guy’s number?”</p><p>Donghyuck blushes. If only it were that easy. “I’m working on it,” he whines. “I’ll get it. Eventually.”</p><p>Renjun gives him a careful look, one mixed with pity and disbelief. “Alright,” he says with a shrug. “Good luck with that.”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>***</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Jeno nearly trips over his own feet when he sees him. Donghyuck, walking through the quad. Donghyuck, clad in ripped skinny jeans instead of workout gear. Donghyuck, humming under his breath to whatever music is playing through his earphones. Donghyuck Donghyuck Donghyuck.</p><p>"Donghyuck!" he calls out, instinctively, mouth moving before his brain has a chance to stop it. Donghyuck turns, confused to be hearing his name called in an unfamiliar voice. He spots Jeno and his eyes widen, cheeks immediately flushing a light pink.</p><p>Jeno regrets this decision already, but he barrels forward. <em> Commit. </em>He hears Yukhei's encouraging voice in his head, and jogs up to where Donghyuck has stopped in his tracks, fists clenched around his backpack straps.</p><p>"Hi," Jeno greets, sheepish.</p><p>Donghyuck bites his lip and pulls out his earbuds. "Um, hi," he says. "How did you know my name...?"</p><p>Jeno blushes. Shit, he'd forgotten that he's never actually introduced himself before. Donghyuck probably thinks he's some kind of creepy stalker, now.</p><p>"Oh. Sorry. Yukhei told me," Jeno explains. "...Yukhei is my friend. The one I workout with."</p><p>Donghyuck nods in understanding. "The one Mark likes, yeah," he says.</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p>There's a beat of awkward silence, and Jeno has to fight every instinct in his body to turn around and run away. Instead, he clears his throat, nervous, and tries again.</p><p>"I'm Jeno, by the way," he says. "Sorry... I just saw you walking and um. Wanted to say hi."</p><p>Donghyuck smiles at him then, but it's different from the bright smile he's seen before at the gym. This smile is a bit more closed off, shy. Jeno feels the awkwardness closing in on both of them and tries to steady his breathing.</p><p>"Well, hi, Jeno," Donghyuck responds softly.</p><p>"Hi."</p><p>"Hi."</p><p>"...Um. Do you maybe want to go get lunch or something? Have you eaten?"</p><p>A flash of regret paints Donghyuck's face. He fidgets, biting his lip again. Jeno finds himself very entranced by the action. Donghyuck has such nice lips.</p><p>"Oh, um, I. Class," Donghyuck says. Jeno tilts his head, confused. "I mean... I have class right now," he clarifies. "I'm sorry. Maybe another time, though...?"</p><p>"Oh. Yeah. Totally. Um. I can give you my number?"</p><p>God, this is so awkward. Jeno feels like full body cringing, but he's <em> talking to Donghyuck, </em>so at least that's something.</p><p>Donghyuck offers him another soft, shy smile. "Sure," he says. He pulls out his phone and hands it to Jeno. "Here, I'll text you when I'm free."</p><p>Jeno's hands are shaking as he inputs his number. And he’s had crushes before, has asked boys and girls alike for phone numbers and dates, but somehow this feels different. It’s like Jeno is thirteen again, fumbling as he tries to compliment his neighbor on her new haircut. Donghyuck is captivating in the way his last few crushes hadn’t been. Like he’s someone special, someone Jeno was destined to meet.</p><p>Or who knows — maybe it’s just the image of his thighs imprinted at the forefront of his brain. </p><p>“Thanks,” Jeno remembers to say. His breath catches in his throat as their hands graze against each other. God, it really is middle school all over again. Only a preteen going through puberty would react so strongly to the mere illusion of touch.</p><p>Donghyuck smiles again, pocketing his phone, and Jeno is pretty sure his brain turned off at least five minutes ago.</p><p>“You’re welcome, Jeno,” he says. “I’ll see you around…?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Jeno breathes. “Definitely.”</p><p>One more shy smile and Donghyuck is off. And maybe it’s his imagination, but Jeno thinks there’s a little more skip in his step than there had been before. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>***</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Oh my god, he’s a cat person. A total softie. How is he the cutest boy ever?” Donghyuck sighs, draping his body dramatically across Renjun’s lap where he sits on the couch. “Look at this. Look!” He shoves his phone into Renjun’s face so they can suffer together. Renjun doesn’t seem quite as affected, though, and only squints at the photo of Jeno and his cat with pursed lips.</p><p>“Cute, I guess?” he says, pushing the phone out of his face. “Since when were you into cat boys?”</p><p>Donghyuck sits up with a scoff. He pinches Renjun’s cheek and tugs. “Well, I’m friends with you, so.”</p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean?”</p><p>He snickers, patting Renjun’s head. “Nothing, Junnie. Anyway, when will he ask me out? I’m getting tired of waiting.”</p><p>Another sigh, and he’s once again spread across the couch. It’s been a week of this — a week of texting back and forth, meeting up for lunch and skirting around each other. Donghyuck thinks his plan is going splendidly, but they’ve hit a standstill. Jeno seems interested, so why isn’t he making any moves?</p><p>“You can ask him out too, you know,” Renjun says. “Maybe he’s shy.”</p><p>“Cute,” Donghyuck coos. “But I’m shy too. Ever think of that?”</p><p>Renjun snorts. “Ah, the age old dilemma of ‘<em>and they were both bottoms</em>’—”</p><p>“Shut up!” Donghyuck pushes at Renjun’s chest, laughing. “It’s not fair. Mark and Yukhei are already on their third date as we speak, and they’ll probably fuck tonight; meanwhile Jeno won’t even look me in the eye when I compliment him.”</p><p>He wishes it were an exaggeration, but the last time he told Jeno his hair looked nice, he’d blushed and stared at his boba the entire date. <em> Date </em>—if you can even call it that.</p><p>“Hyuck, you can’t just sit around and wait for good things to happen to you,” Renjun says. “As the great Kang Seulgi once said: sometimes, you gotta be bold.”</p><p>“Tell that to Jeno.”</p><p>“Jeno does not have the pleasure of being my best friend.”</p><p>“Lucky him,” Donghyuck whines. “I hate when you’re right. But how do I tell him I want to lick his arms without being like, disgusting?”</p><p>Renjun’s face twists up in judgment. He pulls a pillow from behind his back and uses it to smother Donghyuck, just a little bit. “You <em> are </em>disgusting,” he says, ignoring Donghyuck’s flailing in his lap. “But Jeno seems into it, so I dunno. Just tell him? Text or something if speaking is too hard.”</p><p>Donghyuck rolls off of Renjun’s lap, falling gracelessly to the floor with a <em> thump. </em>“I’ll try,” he mumbles at the ceiling. Renjun gives him an encouraging nudge with his foot.</p><p>“Come on,” he says. “Let's go see a movie or something. Mark will probably be back soon, and if things went well on the date then I’m sure he’ll want the apartment to himself for a while.”</p><p>Donghyuck groans. Mark Lee, the lucky bastard. He pulls himself up from the living room floor and tries to convince himself that someday soon, he’ll be in the same boat.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>***</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Donghyuck tries to follow Renjun’s advice, tries to be <em> bold </em> — starting with texting, because as Renjun so kindly pointed out, speaking is hard.</p><p>They’re gossiping about Mark and Yukhei, something Donghyuck finds exceptionally easy. Dunking on Mark is definitely within his comfort zone. He allows himself to relax a little, pushing all thoughts of seducing Jeno to the side for the sake of conversation.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p><b>donghyuck<br/>
</b> it’s just like, is mark an idiot?<br/>
he came home early and renjun and i were just like<br/>
hello???? aren’t u supposed to be with yukhei??</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p><b>jeno<br/>
</b> lol, poor dude<br/>
yukhei was so disappointed he didn’t ask him to stay over<br/>
he texted me like, fifty sad face emojis</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p><b>donghyuck<br/>
</b> right? he was obviously fishing for something!<br/>
mark’s a fucking dumbass lmfao<br/>
if u ever invited me over, i’d jump u so fast</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>He sends the message without thinking. When Jeno doesn’t respond immediately, he realizes what he’s said — but it’s too late. There’s no way to pretend he meant anything other than what they’re both thinking, not when they’ve been openly checking each other out for weeks. Donghyuck feels his heart rate speed up in his chest as he waits for an answer.</p><p>It takes an excruciatingly long time, but eventually, it comes.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p><b>jeno<br/>
</b>guess i’ll have to invite you over sometime then</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Donghyuck screams into his pillow for a solid thirty seconds before collecting himself.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p><b>donghyuck<br/>
</b>i’ll be waiting ~</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>***</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Donghyuck, you’re staring.”</p><p>Jeno laughs, amusement bubbling in his chest. He sets down the weights he’d been lifting and reaches for his water bottle. Donghyuck’s eyes don’t leave him once, carefully following each movement like a cat waiting to pounce. </p><p>“Well, yeah,” Donghyuck scoffs. Jeno takes a big gulp of water and Donghyuck licks his lips. “Have you seen yourself?”</p><p>Another laugh. This time a little more shy, bashful. In the past few weeks Jeno has grown more accustomed to the attention Donghyuck gives him, but it still sets his heart fluttering and his pulse racing. They’re teetering on the edge of flirty friends and something more, both of them too scared to make the next move. Jeno doesn’t know if these little gym meetups and the occasional lunch together are classified as dates or not. He certainly wants them to be, but he’s not brave enough to ask. </p><p>“I could ask you the same question,” Jeno retorts with a smile. “Are you gonna lift some weights too or are you just gonna sit there and watch me?”</p><p>He doesn’t know why he even bothered asking. Donghyuck gives him a look like he’s grown three heads, and laughs.</p><p>“Jen, the only reason I even come to the gym anymore is to see you. I hate working out.”</p><p>It’s a bold statement to make within earshot of at least half a dozen gym rats. Jeno shouldn’t be surprised, yet he feels his cheeks flush red with heat regardless. “You don’t have to come to the gym to see me,” he says slowly. “We can hang out whenever...”</p><p>Donghyuck gives him a quick once over, a glint in his gaze as it sweeps over Jeno’s arms. “I like seeing you all sweaty though.”</p><p>Jeno chokes on his own spit.</p><p>“That’s—” he sputters, embarrassed. “You’re too much.”</p><p>Donghyuck turns shy, then, his smile softening into something more meek. “Sorry,” he laughs, scratching at the back of his head. “Is it uncomfortable? I can tone it down, I just thought— we’ve been flirting for a while—”</p><p>“Oh my god, no,” Jeno interrupts. “It’s not that. I’m just shy? God, this is embarrassing,” he says. Yukhei’s words echo in the back of his mind: <em>you just gotta do it, man. </em>He takes a deep breath to center himself, then tries again. “You’re right; we’ve been flirting for a while. So, um, would you like to go on a date with me, Donghyuck?”</p><p>He shouldn’t have expected anything less than an enthusiastic yes, yet relief floods through him as he sees Donghyuck’s smile brighten.</p><p>“Yes,” Donghyuck answers, head nodding and eyes sparkling. “A thousand times yes.”</p><p>Jeno eyes the exercise equipment around them and decides that missing one day of his workout routine isn’t going to kill him. </p><p>“Wanna go now?” he asks, hopeful. “Just let me shower first. Sweaty Jeno is only good in theory, I promise.”</p><p>Donghyuck laughs. “Yeah, sure,” he says. “I’ve got no plans until the afternoon, so I’m all yours.”</p><p>Jeno’s throat goes a little dry at the statement. He blushes and nods, then holds out a hand to Donghyuck, who happily takes it. </p><p>“Cool,” he says, though he feels anything but. </p><p>Donghyuck follows after him with a giggle. “Cool.”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>***</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Kissing Jeno is everything Donghyuck thought it would be and more. </p><p>The gym locker room isn’t exactly the most romantic place for a first kiss, but Donghyuck finds that he doesn’t care. Sure, the air is stagnant around them and it smells a little bit like gym sweat, but Jeno’s skin is soft and freshly showered and his hair is scented like melon shampoo.</p><p>Donghyuck giggles into the kiss, hands curling around the collar of Jeno’s tank top. Jeno presses closer and he giggles again. He’s giddy, light — lips turned up in a smile. </p><p>“Donghyuck,” Jeno whines, pulling back slightly. “Why are you laughing?”</p><p>“I’m not laughing,” Donghyuck responds, but it’s a lie. The sentence itself is punctuated with yet another airy giggle. “I’m just happy. You’re so cute. I’ve been wanting to kiss you forever.”</p><p>Jeno purses his lips, the tips of his ears burning red. Donghyuck presses another soft kiss to the pout. </p><p>“You’re the cute one,” Jeno says, and he pushes Donghyuck’s hips back into the lockers.</p><p>The words are sweet, but the action is unbearably hot. Donghyuck feels his whole body heat up in anticipation. He can’t wait to properly date Jeno, to take him home and kiss him as much as he wants.</p><p>“So this is your idea of a date, huh?” Donghyuck laughs again, mumbling against Jeno’s lips. Jeno’s mouth trails down to his neck and Donghyuck shivers.</p><p>“Sorry.” Now Jeno’s laughing, his breath tickling the underside of Donghyuck’s jaw. “Couldn’t help myself. We can go, if you want. Maybe lunch?”</p><p>“No,” Donghyuck answers, a little too quickly. Jeno pulls back, and Donghyuck immediately draws him back in. “I mean, yes, lunch. But later. I want—I mean, please keep kissing me.”</p><p>Jeno smiles, nods, and does as he's asked.</p><p>They don’t do much talking after that, but Donghyuck is sure that he’s laughed enough to last a lifetime.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>***</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Jeno’s routine is undeniably changed after he meets Donghyuck. He still goes to the gym every morning, but now he’s got someone to have meals with afterwards, someone to admire all the hard work he’s put into his body.</p><p>And Donghyuck? Donghyuck used to think that mornings were the absolute worst, but that was before he experienced mornings with Jeno. Waking up with strong arms around him and Jeno’s nose nuzzled into his neck — he decides that maybe mornings aren't so bad, after all. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p>
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